GANGS in Haiti are recruiting children at unprecedented levels, with the number of minors targeted soaring by 70 per cent in the past year, according to a report released today by Unicef.

Currently, between 30 and 50 per cent of all gang members in the violence-ravaged country are children, according to the United Nations body.

Geeta Narayan, Unicef’s representative in Haiti, described the recruitment of children by the gangs as “a very concerning trend.”